We went to GovTech 2025! The mission of “One Data, One Citizen, One Citizen Service Journey” under GovTech strikes a great and long-overdue ideal. The vision carries the promise of global competitiveness, and we at KTO Digital not only support it but also can’t wait for South Africa to turn it into a reality.

While we’re enthusiastic, we are far from blind to the pitfalls that too often separate a brilliant vision and its successful realisation. The journey toward a digitally transformed government is one filled with the history of efforts gone by, however well-motivated, which didn’t quite deliver their promise. In our view, learning those lessons is the first step toward a more realistic and successful future.

Take these high-profile cases:

• SASSA-CPS Fiasco: In 2012 the national social grant payment contract was outsourced to Cash Paymaster Services (CPS). The Constitutional Court subsequently ruled the contract unlawful and unconstitutional since it circumvented proper procurement processes. In spite of the foregoing, the contract was consistently renewed to prevent a payment crisis, costing the taxpaying public millions and sparking accusations of the contractor abusing beneficiary data for purposes of marketing other goods and services. This was an egregious failure of procurement, compliance, and data governance and endangered the welfare of millions of South Africa’s most disadvantaged people.
• The Underspent R1.8 Billion for School Infrastructure: In another example, it was reported that departments failed to spend more than R1.8 billion dedicated for core school infrastructure, leaving children crowded into cramped classrooms and lacking proper facilities. This constituted a failure not only of funding, but of project management and implementation capacity needed to deliver a national priority, and thus failed the nation’s promise of a better tomorrow for its children.
• SAPS R700 Million Empty Headquarters: The South African Police Service (SAPS) purchased an R700 million complex for its headquarters, but the complex sat empty for the most part. It was reported by the Auditor-General’s office that nearly R1 billion was spent on the project, and there was no financial return for it due to non-occupability and incompetent project management.

The Future Ahead: Pragmatism, Co-operation, and Identity Intelligence
These cases show us that technology itself is not the answer; the hard part is the gap between policy and practice. The key is a pragmatic approach that foreses the barriers of implementation, provides for sound procurement, and lays the groundwork for trust.

That is where KTO Digital and our J-Cred platform can step in precisely. We believe that turning this vision into reality is a collaborative effort and and we are ready to be that trusted partner.

Our mission is not simply bridging the policy and practice divide through the delivery of technology, but through the delivery of solutions that are designed for our country’s realities on the ground.

• Integrated Citizen-Centric Solutions (G2C): We share GovTech’s emphasis on citizen-centric design and provide municipalities with an effective platform for managing and authenticating citizen data for the purposes of policy enforcement. By delivering an effective system for the administration of indigent registers and other services, we assist with ensuring resources get to the right individuals and turn government service delivery into an effortless, justifiable, and dignified experience for all.

• System and Data Integration with Security: The GovTech theme emphasised interoperability and the secure exchange of data. J-Cred is a data aggregation SaaS platform that integrates content from over 20 legitimate sources, providing a single, integrated view for identity and risk management. This allows government agencies to eliminate data silos, reduce duplications, and establish a single verifiable citizen profile across departments, making “One Data, One Citizen” a tangible reality.
  
• Ethical AI and Fraud Prevention: The conference explored the ethical deployment of AI for reducing administrative complexity and streamlining the delivery of services. Our AI and biometric capabilities are crafted under such tenets. We provide solutions for the forensic analysis of cases of fraud and corruption such that the integrity of the public service is maintained and the laws of strict data protection such as POPIA are upheld.

The Path toward a Global Competitive Advantage

The achievement of initiatives such as “One Data, One Citizen, One Service Delivery” is more than improved governance—it is providing South Africa with a global competitive advantage. An economically stronger, integrated, and secure framework for digital identity creates a more desirable partner for global business and a more effective engine for economic development. KTO Digital is dedicated to becoming an enabler partner for the process.

We welcome government leaders, policymakers, and innovators alike. Together, let’s make our joint visions a reality of effective delivery and leave a lasting legacy of successful implementation, creating for South Africa a digital future that is secure, efficient, and inclusive for all.